“Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.”
Financial resources for the implementation of co-financing by the European Union are provided under the Recovery and Resilience Facility within the NextGenerationEU instrument (noo.gov.si and evropskasredstva.si).
Name of the Operation:
“Development of HVAC Control Systems for Professional Kitchen Cooking Stations with BMS Upgrade”
Description of the Operation:
Within the project, we will develop specialized control systems for managing ventilation systems in large professional kitchens. These new control systems will automatically adjust air extraction according to cooking intensity. The control systems are primarily intended for large kitchens on passenger ships, but they may also be used in other professional kitchens. The control systems will be connected to a central supervisory system.
Purpose of the Project:
The use of electronic hood control systems in large kitchens on large passenger ships can help promote the circular economy and reduce waste on board. By regulating and reducing energy consumption, the need for fuel and other raw materials required for electricity generation is also reduced. This can contribute to lowering pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as preserving natural resources. The electronic RHVAC system also enables better control and management of electrical devices and installations in kitchens, which can reduce the risk of hazardous chemicals leaking into the environment, as an “electronic nose” for detecting hazardous chemicals can also be integrated into the RHVAC system if desired.
Planned and Achieved Results of the Project
According to our estimates, the HVAC control systems will enable an additional 10% energy saving in the energy used to operate cooking stations. These savings will be achieved regardless of whether the electricity is generated from oil (ships), coal, gas, or other sources of electricity (hotels, hospitals, office buildings).
We have also designed the RHVAC system to have a long service life (estimated at 15 years) and to allow the recycling of materials at the end of its life cycle. Specifically, the plastic housing and part of the electronic circuit board can be recycled.
In assessing the reduction of CO2 emissions, we calculated that on ships, over a 15-year service life, up to 16,500 tons of fuel can be saved and, accordingly, more than 100,000 tons of CO2 can be avoided compared to a scenario in which these control systems were not installed.
Total project value: EUR 585,948.00
Total amount of co-financing: EUR 211,310.20
Project duration: 1 December 2023 to 31 March 2025
Partner: Infrax d.o.o.
Name of the Operation:
“The investment VOUCHER FOR OBTAINING CERTIFICATES (ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 9001:2015, CE and IP67 Certificate (FD-CON-X), and CE and IP52 Certificate (LAC-1.UV01)) is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.”
Description of the Operation:
At the company, we are aware that standards are a window to the world. For this reason, we regularly carry out renewal and periodic audits of certificates already obtained. In addition, continuous upgrading, as well as proving compatibility and competitiveness through certification to various standards, is necessary. The main reasons why we decided to obtain these certificates are that we have new or modified products that require certification and that we wish to maintain both ISO certificates, namely ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 9001:2015, which require annual audits and renewals.
With the ISO 9001:2015 standard, we have achieved better conditions for negotiations, competitiveness, and system compliance within the company. By additionally obtaining the ISO 14001:2015 certificate, i.e. the internationally recognized environmental certificate, we have achieved:
1.) Greater care for the environment
2.) Greater international competitiveness;
3.) Meeting customer requirements;
4.) Better negotiating conditions;
5.) Due to the structure of the standard, excellent compatibility with ISO 9001:2015.
Testing of FD-CON-X for CE compliance means that, by obtaining the certificate, the manufacturer declares that the product meets the essential requirements for safety, health, and environmental protection as defined by the relevant European directive. For government authorities, the CE marking on a product is proof that the product is legally placed on the market. It enables the free movement of goods within the EU single market and may serve as a basis for customs authorities or other market surveillance bodies to withdraw non-compliant products from the market.
Testing of FD-CON-X for IP67 compliance is used when the manufacturer wishes to ensure that the product is water-resistant and protected against dust to a certain degree. The numbers following the IP marking indicate the level of protection the product has against water and dust. Whenever customers require a product that is protected against water or suitable for use in dusty environments, products with an IP67 certificate must be selected.
Testing of LAC-1.U01 for compliance with CE and IP52 – both certifications are explained above. In addition to the above-mentioned reasons, certified products also enable us to achieve:
1.) Greater international competitiveness;
2.) Higher sales and greater customer trust;
3.) Confidence that our product is safe to use;
4.) Better negotiating conditions;
5.) Easier customs procedures.
Main Objectives of the Operation:
1.) Obtaining certificates;
2.) Maintaining certificates and upgrading them where necessary;
3.) Improving product sales due to greater confidence in the company’s environmental responsibility;
4.) Eliminating the need for incoming inspections at customers due to placement in a higher supplier ranking class;
5.) Increased environmental awareness and educating all employees about the importance of environmental protection.
The investment was co-financed at the level of 60% by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
Results of the Operation:
By obtaining the certificates, we improved product sales due to greater trust in our environmental responsibility and confidence in product safety, and we avoided incoming inspections at our customers, who placed us in a higher supplier rating category due to the obtained certifications. At the same time, we must not overlook the opportunity to expand sales to foreign markets.
Name of the Operation:
Implementation of the ISO 14001:2015 Standard in Smarteh d.o.o. and Certification of Product Compliance.
Main Purpose of the Operation:
The main purpose of the operation is to obtain certificates that will improve the sales of our products through greater trust in our environmental responsibility and greater customer confidence in the safety of our products.
Description of the Operation:
Standards are a window to the world. For this reason, at Smarteh we believe that continuous upgrading and proof of compatibility and competitiveness can best be achieved through certification to various standards. For this reason, we decided to pursue certification according to the ISO 14001:2015 standard, whose main goal is the preservation of the environment and suitable living conditions for all future generations.
We also decided to obtain the CB safety certificate according to IEC/EN 61010-1, which sets out safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use. Customers are increasingly aware of how important electrical safety is. With the expansion of sales channels across countries worldwide, certificates demonstrating compliance with internationally recognized standards are of great importance.
Main Objectives of the Operation:
1.) Obtaining the CB safety certificate according to IEC/EN 61010-1 and ISO 14001:2015;
2.) Maintaining certificates and upgrading them where necessary;
3.) Improving product sales due to greater trust in the company’s environmental responsibility;
4.) Achieving a higher rating in incoming inspections at customers, resulting in classification into a higher category and incoming processes without inspection;
5.) Increasing environmental responsibility and raising awareness among all employees of its importance.
The investment was co-financed at the level of 60% by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
Results of the Operation:
As a result of obtaining the certificates, we improved product sales. We achieved this through greater trust in our environmental responsibility and confidence in product safety, while also avoiding incoming inspections at our customers, who ranked us in a higher supplier evaluation class due to the obtained certifications.
Name of the Operation:
Development of Smart HVAC Controls with the Integration of an Electronic Nose and Cloud-Based Management
Description of the Operation:
The basic concept and usefulness of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) control lies in its function of adapting to real operational needs regarding the supply and extraction of air (heating/cooling/air supply) for a room, office, cooking station, thereby reducing energy consumption for heating or cooling through the HVAC system. Since current control systems are, on average, set as though rooms are always occupied by the maximum possible number of people, adapting operation to actual needs will directly result in significant energy savings in heating and cooling. The same applies to cooking stations in professional kitchens, which are also generally regulated as though they are always under maximum cooking load. Since it is important that this air does not penetrate into the dining area, the kitchen hood is always set to full speed, as food odors must not freely circulate through a luxury ship or hotel.
With our new HVAC control system, we directly reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling, as it will be capable of adjusting its operating level to actual needs in an individual room, office, ship cabin, or professional kitchen, i.e. in the types of spaces for which these new-generation HVAC control systems are intended.
An additional advantage of this control system is its applicability across all types of facilities (hotels, ships, office spaces, laboratories, etc.). Cooperation with Halton in the USA and Canadian markets represents only the beginning of the sales strategy and sales channels already immediately available to us. Our main target market consists of hotels, of which there are likely around one million worldwide, and together with all restaurants, several tens of millions. This is an enormous market, and the environmental impact in hotel, business, laboratory, and restaurant systems can be multiplied many thousands of times.
Main Objectives of the Operation:
Environmental impact of the new RHVAC
The environmental aspect of our control systems will be reflected on two levels. The most important is the energy-related effect, which will be reflected in reduced energy consumption per hood and consequently also in the entire system. The second level of impact is the reduction of CO2 emissions due to improved operating efficiency.
The same applies to air cooling. Cooling also requires approximately the same amount of energy as heating. For a ship sailing in a warm climate or in the tropics, a similar calculation applies as for a ship sailing in a cold climate. Ships sail 360 days a year.
Reduction of CO2 emissions
When oil is burned, 3.45 kg of CO2 are released per kilogram of burned oil. The annual reduction in energy consumption due to improved RHVAC for kitchen hoods therefore amounts to 42,000 liters of heating oil or 145,000 kg less CO2 emitted annually, and this only due to the optimized operation of kitchen hoods on one ship with 80 kitchen hoods (such as those installed on the Queen Mary II).
If we add to this the optimized operation of HVAC in all other areas of the ship, the total annual saving amounts to 3,240 tons of oil, which corresponds to 11,200 tons less CO2 per year.
Improving energy efficiency,
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution,
Use of recycled materials in control systems,
Energy efficiency is an essential objective of the project
Energy efficiency of hood operation and optimization of the entire RHVAC system for all types of spaces is the primary objective in developing the new generation of RHVAC, while at the same time increasing the comfort of staying in these spaces. In addition, we will ensure major savings in energy consumption, which consequently means lower fixed operating costs of the facility (hotel, office building, ship, etc.) and higher profitability. For managers, owners, and users of buildings, it is important that energy consumption be as low as possible while maintaining the same or even higher level of comfort. Therefore, they are interested in any solution that can contribute to this goal.
Results of the Operation:
In the field of communication, communication protocols were first analyzed and then defined, especially in the area of cloud-based management. For remote operation (internet/cloud), special attention was devoted to data encryption and certificate-based identification (an SSL key was used). In the area of software development, we created a plugin for the SmartehIDE development tool, which in addition to a local USB connection also enables remote debugging. At this stage, we also designed a server interface that will collect data from the controllers and communicate it to a central server for monitoring, analysis, and storage. A completely new tool, SmartehEye, was also designed, primarily intended for maintenance personnel, likewise with remote work capabilities.
When analyzing the existing HVAC situation in buildings, we performed CO2 and VOC measurements in rooms depending on the number of people present. Graphs were produced to monitor, above all, the level that distinguishes “clean air” from “dirty air.” Determining this threshold, which will of course be variable, is very important because in addition to directly affecting the feeling of comfort, it also affects energy consumption for heating, cooling, and filtration. Since these two parameters are inversely proportional, increasing one means reducing the other, and vice versa. It was therefore necessary to find a compromise, i.e. a rough estimate, between energy consumption and adequate air quality.
Once the “threshold” we wish to maintain has been determined, algorithms need to be developed to maintain it. We achieved this by developing algorithms for measuring and regulating the flow of fresh air, algorithms for the automatic detection of activity at cooking stations, and algorithms for controlling the main frequency converters that supply and exhaust air.
For cooking stations, we determined the relationships between the IR point temperature sensor on the cooking station itself (faster response) and the NTC temperature sensor of the exhaust air (slower response). Since both sensors are important for operation, it was necessary to integrate their influence evenly into the algorithm. CO2 and VOC measurements can also contribute to faster detection of critical situations. Measurements were carried out in which CO2/VOC levels were monitored in relation to different input parameters. At the same time, the so-called automatic ABC calibration logic was tested, which ensures correct measurement of VOC values throughout the entire service life of the sensor without the need for external calibration.
In the modeling and simulation of the system, and subsequently in determining parameters and characteristics, the main goal was to define such default values as would best reflect correct states in different real-life situations. In other words, this means that these default values do not need to be changed, except for fine-tuning.
In hardware design, when working with the matrix IR sensor, we came to an interesting conclusion: better results are achieved by using a smaller number of sensing elements. We initially started with a MEMS chip that had 8 x 8 = 64 elements. Although the resolution was more accurate in that case, the sensor did not satisfactorily recognize objects at longer distances. However, when we replaced the chip with one having 4 x 4 = 16 sensing elements, the sensitivity increased, and we also found that the resolution with 16 elements was still satisfactory. We interpret this result as meaning that, due to the smaller number of elements, each element is larger, has a greater sensing area, and can therefore be more sensitive.
In software development, however, the greatest achievement was certainly the establishment of a remote connection to the controller, which then returns data back to the cloud. It was also necessary to ensure security, as such systems can be quite vulnerable. Encryption was implemented in the communication itself, and a certificate was used for identity verification.
The investment was co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.